This invention relates to a method and means for laundering clothing contaminated with asbestos fibers and/or with lead, which decontaminates them, in an environmentally contained, controlled and safe facility.
The contamination of our living environment with asbestos and/or lead, is a serious but well known problem. The abatement, for instance, of the asbestos and lead from buildings of all types is a major undertaking costing billions of dollars every year.
During the asbestos and lead abatement process workers are required to wear protective clothing in addition to respirators equipped with HEPA (High Efficiency Particulate Absolute) Filter cartridges. This protective clothing has to be disposed of as contaminated material, additionally aggravating another serious problem, which is the creation of large quantities of contaminated solid waste which in turn increases the already heavy burden imposed on landfills nationwide in addition to the cost of replacing the contaminated clothing, which is very high indeed.
Recycling has become a very serious obligation of every American and it is becoming law in many instances. Recycling by laundering the clothing used in the asbestos and lead abatement projects could become a major contribution to the reduction of the solid waste problem, provided:
a. Safety procedures and means are included in the laundering process in order to protect the operator's health and to protect the surrounding atmosphere from contamination. PA1 b. Methods and means are in place to prevent the clothing from getting re-contaminated within the work area of the laundry facility, after they have been laundered and before they leave the laundry facility. PA1 c. Any quantity of the contaminants found on the laundered suits, after they exit the laundry facility, is insignificant or at most the maximum allowed by regulations. PA1 d. No waste water will be disposed through the sewer system that is not in compliance with EPA regulations for maximum allowable content for the above mentioned contaminants.
It is therefore a principal object of the invention to provide a method and means for laundering asbestos and/or lead contaminated clothing which decontaminate them and which include safety procedures, controls and regular testings, as intrinsical parts of the decontamination process, implicating both, the protection of the laundry operator's health and the protection of the surrounding atmosphere from being contaminated with the listed contaminants from the laundry process.
A further object of the invention is to provide a method and means for laundering asbestos and/or lead contaminated clothing which decontaminate them and which include means combining microprocessor controlled washer technology with a Containment Area controlled environment, engineered with state of the art technology. The invention also provides methods and means for the constant differential pressure monitoring and recording, methods and means for constant air monitoring and testing by independent laboratory of both the Containment Area as a whole as well as the Operator's Breathing Area in particular. It also provides methods and means for testing the clothing, at regular intervals, by an independent laboratory for contaminant content, prior to and after laundering, all of which assures the laundered clothing does not get recontaminated within the laundry facility.
A further object of the invention is to provide a method and means for said laundry facility not to require a wall between its washer and dryer areas because of its washer equipment technology and because of its environmental control engineering, which directs the air flow in a manner that does not allow contaminated air to flow towards the dryer as proven by its monitoring and testing methods and means which becomes obvious to those trained in the art, in the description of the drawings and in the preferred embodiment.
A further object of the invention is to provide an improved method and means for laundering asbestos and/or lead contaminated clothing to decontaminate them. The method and means provide clean, decontaminated clothing, that can be safely worn. Said clothing leaves the laundry facility with an insignificant amount of the listed contaminants on it, if any, or at the most within the maximum allowed by regulation.
A further object of the invention is to provide an improved method and means for laundering asbestos and/or lead contaminated clothing with the purpose of decontaminating them including means for filtering the contaminated waste water down to a content/liter that is acceptable by EPA regulations for its disposal through the sewer system, further including means for reducing the contact between the hot, contaminated waste water and the Containment Area ambient air to an insignificant level.